


Through the Rain and Shadows - Deathshipping

by Orphaned_PigeonKids



Category: Yugioh
Genre: Angst, Brief Violence, Choking, DSOD spoilers, Fluff, I had a deadline yo, M/M, REALLY short story, Romance, Short Story, but violent, it's short I promise, not sexual choking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 10:47:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10534905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orphaned_PigeonKids/pseuds/Orphaned_PigeonKids
Summary: Bakura has never been much of a lucky soul, both him and his friend in a common sense Marik haven’t had the best of luck as Yugi did when it came to… spiritual “acquaintances.” It’s needless to say that after the events of Aigami’s havoc in Domino that certain memories are now fresh in his mind, and in others. Seeing that one other person he knows will understand his plight may be more eventful than he originally thought when he learns that his friend has had some memories come to light as well, and something more, something from the shadows.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is a republish of my fanfiction for Datacow’s 100% friendly fanfiction contest since I noticed that the date was moved! So, some changes have been made and the ending isn’t as hashed together as it previously had been. (Fic based rather loosely on the song Howl by Florence and the Machine, also contains more angst than fluff in some places.)

Quiet clinking of glass accompanied with a hiss and the flowing sound of water was quiet compared to the patter of the rain outside. The almost instinctive motion of pouring the water, stirring in the leaves, and if desired adding sugar was more a muscle movement to Bakura than he would have admitted. Tea was always a lovely drink on rainy days, even better when it was shared with another person. But he just felt tired and the person with him felt similarly.

Carefully he carried the two glass cups to the kitchen table, watching the liquid teeter dangerously close to a spilling point. The tall boy leaned down and gently set the cup down in front of his guest, only getting a semi-quiet “Thank you” as a response. Bakura sat down and stared at his own cup and then to his guest. Marik was fiddling with the spoon in the cup as he thought. Bakura was trying to be gentle with the topic, knowing it was sensitive for the both of them.

Marik opened his mouth to speak just as Bakura did, resulting in him smiling a little and shaking his head. “Go ahead.” Bakura said quickly before the latter could. The egyptian let out a tired and long sigh, his head leaning back a bit.

“How long has it been Ba-Ryou?” He spoke out. Bakura felt a frown try to push it’s way forward but forced himself to bite it back. He missed him, he knew he missed him.

“Months, almost a whole year.” The spoon clinked against the glass and Marik’s violet eyes flicked to the cause of the noise briefly before looking back to him.

“I heard about what happened with that Aigami kid.” He smiled almost bitterly. “I more felt it actually.”

Bakura felt a sickness rising in his throat, harsh memories pushing and pulling at his calm composure as his grip on his cup tightened. Shaking his head he took a sip to try and disguise his shaking. When he set the cup down he looked to Marik, actually looking him over for the first time since his arrival at his apartment. He looked exhausted. Dark circles lay under his eyes and he didn’t wear a smirk on his lips, didn’t hold himself with pride, no intelligent glint in his eyes. He just looked tired and worn.

“Yugi said he saw the ring.” Marik blurted and Bakura felt his heart drop as he knew what the next question would be. “Did you…?”

“No, I didn’t.” He answered, trying hard not to be harsh or sound uncaring. “I didn’t come in contact with the…the ring.” He gulped hard on his tea, the liquid going down hard and stinging his throat.

“Oh.”

“…”

The silence between them made Bakura’s skin crawl uncomfortably. His hands moved forward as he went to try and break the silence when Marik spoke first.

“He’s gone forever, I know that. I just wanted to know if you even heard if he still…exists or-” Cutting himself off he tangled his fingers up in his hair and leaned forward. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

Panicking a little at the sight of his strong friend so distressed he thought quickly.

“You miss him, he was your friend, it’s normal.” He spoke softly, offering Marik a smile.

He didn’t respond immediately as he kept his violet eyes on his cup. “That’s not the problem I came here for.”

“What’s wrong? If I can do anything I’ll try to help.” He spoke, his accent thick and causing Marik to tighten his grip on his hair.  
“Bakura isn’t the problem Ryou.” He spoke coldly, he was trying to stay composed but the vice grip on his own hair and his tensed shoulders spoke volumes. “Sometimes, I still feel like I can…feel him.”

“If you really cared about him the-”

“I don’t mean Bakura, and I don’t mean the Pharaoh.”

Bakura’s words died in his throat as he realized what he meant.

“Is that why you haven’t been sleeping?” He asked tentatively.

Marik quietly nodded. “He shouldn’t exist but he wasn’t a spirit like Bakura or the Pharaoh. He was me, a part of me, and that mess with Aigami it… it stirred something. It feels like he’s still there, just barely.”

Bakura was frozen, not shaking in fear or swaying, just still.

“I know he was fond of you.” Marik felt his lip curl in disgust as he leaned up and looked Bakura in the eye. “I wanted to tell you that, that’s why I came here.” Glancing to his glass he stood. “Thank you for the tea.” He started and sighed. “And for your company. I know this isn’t normal but I felt that if there was anyone I could mention this to it would be you.” He smiled a little. “Me and you had a similar situation huh?”

Bakura relaxed a little as he stood and smiled softly, he was tired, just like Marik. “Yeah, we sure did.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The motel door opened with a pained squeak as a tall lithe figure entered the small room. Marik was silent as he shut the door behind himself and folded the umbrella he’d brought. He’d traveled here alone, Ishizu and Odion staying in Egypt. Ishizu had been hesitant to let him go alone but she had understood Marik’s need to.

He flicked the light switch and the click sounded, but no lights came on. Frowning, he traversed to the side of the room to open a window and allow the light from the street lamps outside to brighten the dim. As he swept open the curtains, he froze.  
Beyond the panes was a swirling mass of darkness that clawed and reached at the glasso of the window. He sucked in his breath and turned around quickly. The room had disappeared completely, replaced by the swirling darkness that smothered the area in silence. His heartbeat was loud in his ears as his hands began to shake and he steeled his eyes. A wall of swirling mass lay in front of him stretching in all directions into the darkness. He approached it, it radiated no heat, no cold, nothing. Clenching his fists he stared into the abyss.

An almost silent ripple showed across the surface of the wall, purple and black mist swirling about Marik. The ripple grew larger as the silhouette of two black shapes appeared behind it.

Hands shot from the wall violently and wrapped around his throat. His own hands reaching up quickly as his eyes opened wide as his air became restricted. He clawed and tried to pry away the hands from his throat, pulling away in any attempt to break the choking hold. The more he pulled the more the figure emerged from the liquid wall of darkness. Tanned arms began to seep from the ripple and a loud choked cry pushed out of his throat when he caught sight of the golden bands on the forearms of his attacker. HIs heart was the only thing he could hear as it hammered in his skull, his lungs burning, eyes wide with terror as it emerged.

The golden glow of the eye of Anubis seared and burned past the rippling wall as the visage of Marik’s darker half pushed himself into reality. Pure anger was etched onto his features, veins bulging along his cheeks as he tightened his grip on his other halfs throat, empty violet eyes narrowed in rage.

“Yo-You aren’t real.” Marik choked out, his lungs aflame as he fought for air against the hands crushing his windpipe.  
“Let. Me. In.” It snarled, sharp teeth showing as he curled his lips in anger. His voice was loud and it deafened Marik as his struggles and clawing at his demon’s arms became more feeble. Air. He needed air.

“No.” He wheezed out and snarled at his other half defiantly.

Yami Marik growled lowly and pressed his thumbs in deeper and Marik could no longer even struggle for the air he so desperately needed. His violet eyes fluttered and rolled as the world around him was swallowed in unconsciousness, the glow from the Eye of Anubis was the last thing he saw as he fell into darkness.

The motel room was dark, the only noise heard was the patter of rain and the labored breathing of the man in the middle of the room. He was bent over himself, crumpled inward as he wheezed for breath. Reaching a hand out to the bed he braced himself and heaved upwards. He was unsteady, legs wobbling a bit as he now leaned over the sheets. A low groan pushed past his throat as his stomach churned and threatened to give up his lunch.

It took him a moment, but the male had calmed his breathing and spasming body. Coherent thought came to him slowly, and only one subject lay in his mind.

Violet eyes drifted slowly to the door of the motel room and what he knew lay beyond it, a soft gold glow in the room causing light to bounce off the hard plastic coated door.

Swiftly the figure leapt to the door and threw it open, rain pelting down and spattering onto the man’s face. He let out a stifled breath and turned his head upward to the sky that opened up to dump it’s worries out onto the world. Then, he was off. Feet tearing across the hard ground as he pumped hard against the rain and wind. Scanning his other half’s memory for the directions he desired he made a quick turn into an alleyway, feet slapping against the hard stone of the ground.

This burning sensation rose in his chest as a deep seated hunger seared his loudly beating heart. He had to get there quickly, he didn’t know how much longer he could keep this hold on his weaker half with his own weakened state. The slick surface of water on brick and his wobbly legs led him to have difficulties keeping upright. A deep growl sounded as the skin on the soles of his feet were worn raw from the stone beneath him. He would get there, he just needed to make sure his body didn’t give out on the way. He was going to have to find a way to explain this to Ryou without making him mad. Quiet laughter pushed up as he imagined the smaller white haired boy angry, oh how this would be an adventure.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

A harsh rapping on the door of his apartment yanked Bakura from his sleep. He shakily got up from the tousled sheets of his bed and rubbed his tired brown eyes. With wobbly steps he traversed to the door, hand grasping awkwardly for the handle as he yawned loudly. The squeak of the handle was barely audible before the door was shoved in violently, throwing him back in surprise as in his tired state he couldn’t even cry out. Hands grasped around his arms as he back slammed into the wall adjacent to the door and his blood ran cold as he expected the cold eyes of a robber to be gazing down at him.  
Before he could even glance up to register the person a warm feeling pressed to his forehead, a hot feeling like holding your hand close to the flame of a candle. His eyes shot open quickly as he found blank violet orbs gazing back at him.  
“My how I’ve missed you.” The drenched figure huffed as his breathing began to stabilize again, drenched hair hanging over the both of the males.

He couldn’t find words. It felt like all of the air and words in his vocabulary had been stripped from his mind as the figure before him released his arms. As soon as he did Bakura quickly wrapped them around his shoulders and pressed his head into his neck with a fervor.

“I-I miss you too…” Softly, he spoke this as his voice cracked and tears threatened to flow.

A low deep chuckle pushed past Yami Marik’s lips as he moved his hands to stroke through the boys tousled and soft long white hair. Ryou’s tears stained the already soaked through black shirt of the male before him. He relished in his arms for a moment, just a moment, before his eyes flew open.

“What…what happened to Marik?” He spoke quietly, hands pushing slightly against the sturdy chest of the Yami.

He sucked in air through his nose as he let out a long sigh. “He was…reluctant to let me in.”

The boy pushed away with more force. “You, did you hurt him?”

Yami Marik glanced down at him through slitted eyes. “Not physically, I didn’t have much time to act.” He spoke and touched his hair by his face, fingers sliding gently over Bakura’s cheek.

He stared up at the taller man and his brown eyes hardened with a fierceness. Yami Marik felt his lips turn to a frown as he felt a pang in the depths of his chest at the look he was giving him. He didn’t like the disapproving look the smaller one was giving him.

“I had no choice.”

“You didn’t ha-”

The tall Yami cut him off by placing a finger over the white haired boys lips gently, very much unlike him. “The shadow realm doesn’t have many loopholes little one.” He spoke quietly, his muscles sore and tired under his skin and dark rings under his already blank eyes accentuating his worn appearance.

Bakura blinked in quiet acceptance of his presence, understanding what the shadow realm was like and feeling a small amount of guilt for chastising him when he had gone through so much to get here to him. He just hoped that the other Marik wasn’t suffering, knowing that the two despised each other with a burning passion and even with him in the middle, they wouldn’t ever be more than bitter sides of a coin.

“Now, how about we head to that wonderful bed of yours, yes?” He purred in a low tone, fingers dancing across Bakura’s cheeks as he felt the sensation in his chest grow. Bakura in his tired state felt his cheeks flush as blood rushed to his face. Yami Marik’s chest shook as a booming laugh pushed past his lips and he tipped his head back as he hooted and hollered.

“Come one, lets go creampuff.” He snorted and tugged the tired and still shocked Bakura to his room, trying hard to remember from his other half’s memory. The room was dark and he felt his lungs heave as the smell of Bakura caused his mind to go hazy. He pushed the boy gently toward the bed as Bakura tiredly sat down. Yami Marik blinked and smiled in his direction as he peeled the soaked shirt off, not wanting to get the bed soaked.

Bakura quickly decided to lay down, staring in another direction as he curled into the now cold sheets. There was a shuffling as a heavy weight pressed into the bed next to him and, lifting the sheets, a warmth pressed into his back. He shuddered and heavy arms wrapped around his smaller frame as Yami Marik pressed his nose into the hair of the smaller male. He sighed in content as Bakura ceased fidgeting and relaxed into his familiar hold.

“Hmmm now isn’t this better.” He hummed against him and held him closer.

Bakura nodded sheepishly and moved his hands to the Yami’s which rested on his midsection, holding them as their fingers entwined.

“I missed you.”

“I missed you too, now go to sleep.” He chuckled quietly and gave him a gentle squeeze. “I’ll be here in the morning, don’t worry that little fluffy head of yours.”

The night pressed on and slowly, Bakura fell into sleep, held in the arms of the Yami who had tore through the depths and veil of the shadow realm just to lay down with him in the silence of night. A soft howling called outside as Yami Marik’s eye of anubis flared slightly in the dark, its golden glow casting a slight warmth in the night as he held onto his anchor. The only thing that kept him cemented here in this reality, in this plane. He would have to speak with his other half regrettably, the boy now in his arms would surely protest if he didn’t. But despite these thoughts, he was well aware that this night may be his only with the white haired boy, the shadows were fickle, and tended to take once they’d seen that they’d been duped. He only wished he’d be able to keep his promise to the kind soul in his arms, he only wished for one night.

The Yami sighed and forced all of the worrisome thoughts far from his mind, focusing on the warmth he now held in his arms, in his heart.

“Goodnight creampuff.”


End file.
